Felt Colbornes Team

Sunday 18th April was the Archer Road Race 2010 being held this year on the Drift Road circuit near Maidenhead in what was probably the best weather we have has this year, clear blue skies, 19 degrees and a light wind.  This is my local course so I know the rolling roads and more specifically the pot holes all too well from the many time trials and training miles I’ve completed here.  The event is a 1,2 and 3 CAT only race so no chipper elites to deal with today, just those that want to be…..including myself.

63 miles or 7 laps of the circuit lay ahead of the 70 rider field and I was the lone Felt-Colbornes.  Team orders were to keep an eye on Garry ‘the Legend’ Dodd but I was also keeping the other eye on the Chorley cycles and Zappis teams, both of which with 6 riders some of which were also riding the recent Tour Doonhame.  Things kicked off with a frantic opening lap and no one letting anything get more than 10 seconds gap.  I made sure I kept all the moves covered or at least encouraged a chase before letting everyone else do the work to bring it back.

Then with 3 laps to go a group of 4 escaped and the gap creaped very quickly up to 50 seconds.  The group included Lee Davis, Motorpoint/Candi TV, Roy ‘hard as nails’ Chamberlain, Team Corley Cycles/Cervello, Blake Pond, South Fork Racing/Litespeed and Jamie Fox, CC Luton.  Team Zappi kept the gap down but it was a combined effort on the final lap that brough them to within 20 seconds.

Into the last 5km and the long stretch of Drift road to the finish.  This a perfectly straight road more commonly used by the local chavs for drag racing vauxhal corsa’s but today it was the chasing bunch all hungry for the win flying down it.  I kept myself in the top 5 making sure I was out the gutter and out the wind.  The sprint started early and I was in the perfect place going up the finishing drag.  Only Steve Calland was clear and I was catching a fading Andrew Udall, Mammoth Lifestyle RT so it was a reasonable 7th place.  Edging closer to that win!

Thames Velo Road Race next weekend and JW’s home course

1 Lee Davis, Motorpoint/Candi TV, 67 miles in 2h 18m 28s
2 Roy Chamberlain, Tm Corley Cycles/Cervello
3 Blake Pond, South Fork Racing/Litespeed
4 Jamie Fox, CC Luton, all s.t.
5 Steve Calland, South Fork Racing/Litespeed at 26s
6 Andrew Udall, Mammoth Lifestyle RT
7 Peter Wager, Felt-Cobornes RT
8 Matthew Higgins, Tm Corley Cycles/Cervello
9 Ashley Cox, Tm Corley Cycles/Cervello
10 Paul Londors, Python RT/Smartest Energy